Posted: August 15, 2008 at 11:59 am
By Chuck
Dairy Markets Week in Review
The cheese price roller coaster is just that, a roller coaster. The August 8th rally appeared to continue Monday, with blocks gaining a penny following Friday’s 6 1/4-cent gain. Barrel jumped 3 cents, following a nickel gain the previous Thursday and Friday, but prices suffered a relapse from there and block closed Friday, August 15th at $1.76 per pound, down three quarter cents on the week, and 20 cents below a year ago.
Barrel closed at $1.70, down 2 cents on the week, and 19 cents below a year ago. Twenty seven cars of block traded hands on the week and 12 of barrel. The NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price hit $1.9627, down 0.6 cent. Barrel averaged $1.8853, down 6.6 cents.
Butter closed Friday at $1.6450, down a half-cent on the week but 26 1/2-cents above a year ago when it lost a dime. Thirty seven cars were sold this week. NASS butter averaged $1.5576, up 4.4 cents. Nonfat dry milk averaged $1.3953, down 0.2 cent, and dry whey averaged 25.13 cents, down 0.7 cent.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
Posted: August 14, 2008 at 6:30 pm
By News Editor
In an attempt to force changes onto animal agriculture as it relates to animal rearing practices on the farm, some animal rightist groups focused their attempts on New Jersey. The issues involving gestation sows, poultry, cattle and more spent time under review within the state’s legal system.
Recently, the New Jersey Supreme Court upheld several regulations that the state agriculture department had established as being humane. Among the practices in question were the use of gestation-sow crates, de-beaking, castrating animals without anesthesia and some steps to increase egg production.
The court did, however, find one routine practice objectionable — tail docking of cattle, where a lower portion of the tail is removed. The court did rule that the department needs to do more work to evaluate and define what routine husbandry practices are if they want to keep relying on it.
Posted: August 14, 2008 at 6:23 pm
By News Editor
A new report announces that scientists the development the first test for instantly detecting beef that has been contaminated with tissue from a cow’s brain or spinal cord during slaughter — an advance in protecting against possible spread of the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
Jürgen A. Richt and colleagues point out that removal of brain, spinal and other central nervous tissue after slaughter is “one of the highest priority tasks to avoid contamination of the human food chain with bovine spongiform encephalopathy,” better known as Mad Cow Disease. “No currently available method enables the real-time detection of possible central nervous system (CNS) tissue contamination on carcasses during slaughter,” the report states.
They describe a test based on detection of the fluorescent pigment lipofuscin, a substance that appears in high concentrations in the nervous tissue of cattle. The researchers found that it was a dependable indicator for the presence of brain and spinal tissue in bovine carcasses and meat cuts.
“Small quantities of bovine spinal cord were reliably detected in the presence of raw bovine skeletal muscle, fat and vertebrae. The research lays the foundation for development of a prototype device allowing real-time monitoring of CNS tissue contamination on bovine carcasses and meat cuts,” the report says.
It was done with colleagues from the National Animal Disease Center of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service and Iowa State University.
Posted: August 13, 2008 at 8:07 pm
By News Editor
The All-American Dairy Show, set for Sept. 13-18 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg, is proud to be celebrating its 45th anniversary with the theme, a “Celebration of Excellence.”
Show entries are due August 15. Late entries will be accepted until August 29 for an additional fee.
The kick-off weekend of the show is packed with events for youth and adults, starting with the Pennsylvania Junior Dairy Show on Saturday, Sept. 13. That day, youth may also participate in the “Fire-Up Social and Scavenger Hunt,” and dairy food enthusiasts can sample locally-made products at the Blue Ribbon Processor event.
Events for Sunday, Sept. 14 include the tour to Star Rock Dairy, the 45th Anniversary Hospitality and Appreciation Social, and the Youth Benefit Auction with all proceeds benefiting youth events.
The Premier National Junior Events, “Harrisburg 2008 – Where Youth are Stars,” runs Sept. 13-16 with seven national junior dairy shows, a national-level showmanship contest, dairy judging and junior dairy challenge.
Weeklong events include the 11th All-Dairy Antique and Collectibles Show featuring dairy art and a trade show with the “Come Snack with the Vendors” event on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
The annual All-American Dairy Show awards including the Pioneer and Image Awards and the Obie Snider Award, will be presented at the All-American Dairy Show “Got Milk” Banquet on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The week caps off with the 52nd Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Pageant on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Posted: August 13, 2008 at 7:55 pm
By News Editor
World Dairy Expo is a little over a month away, and the Jersey Association is proud to announce that Forest Glen Jerseys, Dayton, Ore., will be one of eight North American dairy operations to be featured in Expo’s 2008 Virtual Farm Tour program.
The video tour, narrated by Dan Bansen, will start at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 1 in the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center, Madison, Wis. The American Jersey Cattle Association is the program sponsor.
The story of Forest Glen Jerseys is how one family—Stan and Dora Bansen, succeeded by their son, Dan, and now his daughter, Jamie—thoughtfully and actively built a herd of unregistered dairy cows into a highly profitable milk producing business that is also a globally recognized brand of Registered Jersey™ genetics based on their performance in other herds.
Building value requires understanding what “value” is from the perspective of the customer. The Bansens are equally attentive to both groups of customers they serve: the buyers of Forest Glen cattle and semen, and the consumers of milk and other dairy products.
Other Virtual Farm Tours feature dairy businesses located in Michigan, New York, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. They are being sponsored by AgSource Cooperative Services, BASF Plant Science LLC, Barenbrug USA, Cover-All Building Systems Inc., Page & Pedersen, Inc., Semex Alliance, and Vita Plus Corporation. There is no charge for these programs.
Posted: August 13, 2008 at 7:47 pm
By News Editor
Dairy producers in Pennsylvania are gearing up for the annual Ag Progress Days in Rock Springs, Pa. August 19-21. While visiting the show, producers are encouraged to visit the Center for Dairy Excellence booth. Doing so could earn you a gift – if you ask about the Center’s key programs: Dairy Profit and Target Teams.
Producers who ask a center representative about the Dairy Profit and Target Team Program, or who ask to learn more about the new LGM for Dairy insurance program, will receive a gift from the center. One gift will be provided to each dairy farm family who visits the booth and asks about the programs, while supplies last.
The center’s booth will be located in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture building.
Posted: August 12, 2008 at 6:57 pm
By News Editor
The National Jersey Queen program is seeking applicants for its 54th annual contest to be held on Friday, November 7 during the North American International Livestock Exposition, Louisville, Ky. Applicants are due by October 15th.
There are three eligibility requirements to compete for honor of National Jersey Queen. Contestants must be at least 16 years of age but not older than 20 on January 1, 2008. They must be either a current state or regional Jersey queen, or be an exhibitor at the 2008 Western National Jersey Show or The All American Junior Jersey Show. All contestants must be a Junior Member in good standing or Lifetime Member of the American Jersey Cattle Association.
Candidates for National Jersey Queen are evaluated on the quality of their application, interview, general dairy and Jersey breed knowledge, and public speaking, both prepared and extemporaneous.
The National Jersey Queen represents the Jersey community throughout the year at local, state and national events, including the AJCA-NAJ Annual Meetings.
Financial support is provided by the National Jersey Queen Development Fund. Major funding for this effort comes from proceeds of a donation heifer sold each year at a national Jersey sale. This year’s heifer, TC Militia 1244 Jayne, was donated by Kevin Lutz, Treasure Chest Jerseys of Lincolnton, N.C. She sold in the National Heifer Sale on June 28 for $4,400 to Maisey Wells, Leicester, N.C. The reigning Queen is Rachel White, of New Castle, Indiana.
Posted: August 12, 2008 at 6:35 pm
By News Editor
Emerald Dairy, a Chinese milk processing company, has announced that it has begun construction of a new milk powder processing facility in Hailun City of the Heilongjiang province, China.
Upon completion in early 2009, the new facility will have an annual production capacity of 9,000 tons of milk powder, bringing the company’s total annual production capacity to approximately 18,000 tons by the end of 2009. The company has secured milk supply from local farmers for the facility.
According to the company, the new facility will provide it with the flexibility to accommodate future production of an additional 9,000 tons as market demand grows. The project will require an investment of approximately $20 million, which the company intends to finance through internal cash flow as well as potential debt or equity offerings.
Posted: August 12, 2008 at 6:30 pm
By News Editor
Sorrento Lactalis is planning an expansion to its Nampa, Idaho cheese factory, adding a new whey processing facility. The company plans to break ground this winter and finish in less than two years.
Its planned new whey facility will be 50,000 to 60,000 square feet and cost close to $50 million, Jean Claude Bruneau, vice president of manufacturing, told the Idaho Press-Tribune on Wednesday.
The expansion will include a 175-foot whey evaporation tower and several silos. The company could break ground on the project this winter and finish in less than two years.
The new facility will enable the cheese-processing plant to increase its production in three years from between 400,000 and 420,000 pounds of cheese per day to 600,000 pounds per day, Bruneau said.
Posted: August 11, 2008 at 8:59 pm
By News Editor
Publix Super Markets, based in Lakeland, Fla., has announced that it will soon issue deep discounts on grocery store staples, starting with milk.
Publix has lowered the price of a gallon of Publix-brand milk to $3.79 from its recent price of $4.69 a gallon, a drop of 19 percent.
Store officials say there is no timetable for the discount program, but that it would last longer than Publix’s traditional weeklong sales.
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Posted: August 11, 2008 at 5:15 pm
By News Editor
Your weekly Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) export update.
CWT has accepted ten export assistance bids for the sale of butter, cheese and anhydrous milkfat.
Four of the bids were from Darigold of Seattle, WA, for butter exports in the following amounts to the following destinations: 500 metric tons (1,102,312 pounds) to Morocco; 125 metric tons (275,578 lbs.) to Japan; 50 metric tons (110,231 lbs.) to Lebanon; and 25 metric tons (55,116 lbs.) to the United Arab Emirates.
Three of the bids were from Dairy Farmers of America of Kansas City, MO, for the export of anhydrous milkfat to Russia in the following amounts: 72 metric tons (158,733 lbs.), and two separate bids of 50 metric tons each (110,231 lbs.).
Two bids were accepted from California Dairies Inc., one for the export of 3,000 metric tons (6,613,869 lbs.) of anhydrous milkfat to Mexico, and another for the export of 92 metric tons (202,825 lbs.) of butter to Mexico.
And finally, a bid was accepted from Foremost Farms of Baraboo, WI, for the export of 185 metric tons (407,855 lbs.) of Mozzarella cheese sticks to South Korea. CWT will pay an export bonus to the bidders, only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.
With these accepted bids, CWT’s total 2008 export obligations are: butter, 15,272 metric tons (33.6 million lbs.); cheese, 1,111 metric tons (2.4 million lbs.); whole milk powder, 170 metric tons (374,000 lbs.); and anhydrous milkfat, 4,438 metric tons (9.8 million lbs.).
Posted: August 10, 2008 at 7:53 pm
By News Editor
A Land O’Lakes plant in Lake City, Minn. that manufactures spray dried cheese powders for use in the pet food and animal feeding industries has been sold to International Ingredient Corp.
Land O’Lakes will continue to provide the cheese raw materials utilized in the plant.
Details of the acquisition cost were not provided. The plant will continue to produce the same pet food-grade dried cheese products for existing and new customers. The local management staff and work force will continue to operate the plant.
St. Louis-based International Ingredient Corp. is a manufacturer of feed and pet food ingredients owned by Fred Brown and family. The company operates nine processing facilities and produces products ranging from brewer’s dried yeast to cheese powders to milk chocolate powders to dried dairy powders and sugar products.
Posted: August 8, 2008 at 3:40 pm
By Chuck
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Cheese price hemorrhaging continued early in the week of August 4 but a tourniquet was finally applied as the buyers stepped up to the plate. The blocks fell to $1.7050 on Thursday but rallied Friday, regaining 6 1/4-cents, and closed at $1.7675 per pound, down 6 3/4-cents on the week, and 17 1/4 below a year ago. The blocks lost 23 1/4-cents the previous week. Barrel closed Friday at $1.72, down 8 cents on the week, and 18 cents below a year ago. Thirty six cars of block traded hands on the week and 42 of barrel. The NASS U.S. average block price hit $1.9683, up 4.1 cents. Barrel averaged $1.9517 up 2.3 cents.
Butter did the opposite, jumping to $1.67 on Tuesday, but gave back 2 cents on Friday and closed at $1.65, up 7 1/2-cents on the week and 17 cents above a year ago. Thirty five cars were sold. NASS butter averaged $1.5138, down 0.5 cent. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged $1.3956, down 1.6 cents, and dry whey averaged 25.81 cents, down 0.5 cent.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
Posted: August 7, 2008 at 5:57 pm
By News Editor
The recent closure of the Australian Kyabram Irrigated Research Institute has promoted the Victorian government to assured Dairy Australia that it will maintain its commitment to dairy research and development.
Dairy Australia managing director, Mike Ginnivan, said the challenges facing dairy meant that it was important that all R,D&E be directed in the most effective way, and be subject to ongoing review.
“We have been reassured, however, by the fact that the government’s stated intention is to at least maintain its investment in the dairy industry. We will be seeking to work closely with government to find solutions that deliver the best results for the industry,” Dr Ginnivan said.
Dairy Australia’s manager of farm productivity and delivery, Steve Coats, said the industry retained a commitment to R,D&E to support irrigated farming systems.
“As one part of this, the industry continues to maintain a strong presence in the region through a highly regarded dairy extension team and the largest dairy Regional Development Program, Murray Dairy. These initiatives will continue to provide services to northern Victoria and southern New South Wales.
“Despite the hurdles farmers have faced since the drought of 2002/03, there is strong evidence that farming systems are adapting to significantly less water and developing new ways to succeed during these times of higher prices,” Mr Coats said.
Posted: August 7, 2008 at 5:45 pm
By News Editor
Monsanto announced today that it is pursuing a divestiture of its dairy product, POSILAC® bovine somatotropin (commonly known as rBST). Additional details have not been disclosed at this time.
“While POSILAC is a strong product for the business, we believe repositioning the business with a strategic owner will allow Monsanto to focus on the growth of its core seeds and traits business while ensuring that loyal dairy farmers continue to receive the value of POSILAC in their operations,” said Carl Casale, Monsanto’s Executive Vice-President of Strategy and Operations.
POSILAC is an FDA-approved animal pharmaceutical used by U.S. dairy farmers to increase productivity. Since it was first sold in the United States in 1994, POSILAC has become the country’s leading dairy animal supplement. Supplementing dairy cows with POSILAC safely enhances milk production and serves as an important tool to help dairy producers improve the efficiency of their operations and produce more milk more sustainably. POSILAC helps farmers with herds of all sizes produce more milk per cow. This increase in production provides dairy farmers with additional economic security by increasing the return on their overall investment. Cows supplemented with POSILAC produce an average of 10 lb. more milk per day.
A recent study conducted by several researchers at Cornell University highlighted the role of POSILAC as an on-farm dairy tool that can effectively reduce the environmental impact of dairy operations.
We feel POSILAC is an outstanding product for dairy farmers to meet the world’s growing demand for food. POSILAC is a proven tool for increasing dairy cow milk production and profitability. With historically high milk prices, dairy producers who use POSILAC are deriving significant value from their investment.
Posted: August 6, 2008 at 7:50 pm
By News Editor
The Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association welcomes four new staffers to their dairy marketing and promotion program. Congratulations to each of them!
As school marketing managers, Linda Amraen and Tom Celi work with schools to implement the New Look of School Milk, a program that features milk in 8-ounce plastic bottles, and institute recycling and dairy vending programs. They are resources for teachers, school nurses and school district foodservice directors, supplying them with nutrition education and dairy promotion programming.
Amraen works with schools in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. With more than 10 years in foodservice management, Amraen has run successful programs for Aramark Corporation, Mendham School District in New Jersey and Shriners Hospital for Children in Chicago. Amraen holds degrees in nutrition and dietetics and business administration from University of Illinois. She resides in Fairfax, Va., with her husband John and two daughters.
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With a strong background in sales and customer service, Celi helps foodservice directors in southern New Jersey implement National Dairy Council® programs. He worked for nearly 20 years at AT&T and most recently was sales supervisor at Harte-Hanks where he sold Apple computers and supervised a 24-member team. A graduate of Rowan University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, Celi resides in Burlington, N.J., and has two children.
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Registered Dietitian Karen Plansinis joins Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association with nearly 30 years of experience in nutrition education. As a nutrition communications manager, Plansinis is responsible for nutrition and health-related communications in the Johnstown, Altoona and Pittsburgh media markets. She manages relationships with health professional organizations in Pennsylvania, such as the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians and the Women, Infants and Children program.
Plansinis received a bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in food and nutrition from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the American Dietetic Association and is certified by the National Strength and Condition Association and the American College of Sports Medicine. A resident of Kittanning, Plansinis and her husband Don have six sons.
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Jill Stankiewicz is a regional marketing manager, working with key retail accounts on national and regional execution of initiatives to maximize dairy sales. Stankiewicz previously worked for McCormick and Company as a food technologist and technical project manager where she managed new product launches, analyzed sales data, and followed consumer trends.
Stankiewicz is a food science graduate of the University of Delaware and will graduate this year with a master’s in food marketing from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. She lives in Baltimore.
Posted: August 6, 2008 at 7:32 pm
By News Editor
Los Altos Food Products, owned by Raul Andrade and his family, is expanding from 36,000-square-foot factory to a new 100,000-square-foot facility a few blocks away. Demand for the company’s cheese is growing, particularly for their Cotija-style cheese, one of Mexico’s most famous flavors.
In rural Mexico, there is a tiny town at the base of the Southern Sierra Madres called Cotija – a quiet place where herds of cattle fan out into green mountain canyons. In those hilly places, dairymen for 200 years have made Mexico’s most famous cheese – Cotija.
Summer rains each year wash out dirt roads into Cotija, so ranchers let their cheese sit for months until the rain stops and the roads are safe, which gives the cheese its pungent, hard character. The difficult rainy times, experts say, caused Cotija cheese to become the most recognizable cheese in Mexico.
Latino-style cheeses are one of the nation’s fastest-growing cheese categories, according to the California Milk Advisory Board.
Read the a more complete story of the Andrade family here.
Posted: August 6, 2008 at 6:47 pm
By News Editor
Country music star, Trisha Yearwood is the latest celeb to wear the popular got milk? mustache. The ad premiered on August 5 in several magazines.
A graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, Yearwood has performed at the Academy Awards, the Olympics and the Library of Congress. She sang with Luciano Pavarotti, one of world’s most famous vocal performers, in the summer of 1998 at his benefit for Liberian children. Yearwood received a 2008 Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Heaven, Heartache And the Power of Love” and was named one of Redbook’s “Women of the Year” (2005). Yearwood was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1999.
Yearwood’s songs have appeared in numerous feature films most notably “Con Air” which featured her Grammy award winning song “How Do I Live”. Yearwood also has appeared on “Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman” and has won kudos for her recurring role on the TV series “JAG.”
Along with her singing and acting career, Yearwood released her first cookbook, “Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen” in April 2008 which she co-wrote with her mom and sister.
Yearwood lives with her husband, fellow country singer Garth Brooks in Oklahoma.
Posted: August 6, 2008 at 3:59 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
Have trouble sorting out PENDF, NDF and PEF? Pioneer Hi-Bred nutritional sciences veterinarian, Bill Seglar, explains these acronyms and their value to producers. “This information offers producers the ability to add up physically effective fiber coming from all different types of forages that are being brought into the ration to see if it meets the requirements of the total ration,” says Seglar. Hear more about this topic in this edition of the Pioneer Forage Forum.
pioneer-podcast-38-wdd.mp3
Bill Seglar on Alphabet Forages (5:30 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Previous Forage Forum podcasts are also archived at the Pioneer GrowingPoint website. To access them, go to www.pioneer.com/growingpoint and click “Livestock Nutrition” and “Forage Blog.” Those not registered for Pioneer GrowingPoint website can call 800-233-7333 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT for assistance.
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Posted: August 5, 2008 at 7:41 pm
By News Editor
The Dairy Business Association (DBA) has two new staff members – Sara A. Kruse and Jane Aubry. Congratulations to both on their new positions!
Prior to joining DBA, Kruse worked for Lextron Animal Health as a marketing manager and most recently as a dairy sales representative. She earned a degree in public relations from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Kruse resides in De Pere, Wis., and owns a herd of Black Angus beef cattle in partnership with her father. As the special projects coordinator, she will oversee all operations of the membership department including membership recruitment, retention and reporting, along with planning and coordinating new or existing projects and events.
Aubry brings to DBA experience as an administrative assistant for Unilever Ice Cream, as well as a degree in paralegal studies from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. In her role as senior office and legal coordinator, she will keep member databases, coordinate the distribution of DBA communications, oversee political fundraising and assist with event planning. Aubry will also update the organization’s legal documents and policies.
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